A second grade assistant at Uthangarai taluk office was arrested on graft charges by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anticorruption (DVAC) sleuths in Krishnagiri on Thursday (July 31, 2025).

The accused Jaiganesh, a second grade assistant had demanded a bribe of ₹4,500 from the complainant Venkatachalam to include the name of his niece, Priyadarshini (18) on the birth certificate. According to the DVAC, Venkatachalam had applied for birth certificate of his niece at Uthangarai sub-registrar’s office.

The need arose after incorrect date of birth was mentioned in the Aadhaar card of his niece. Following this, Venkatachalam collected the birth certificate, which had all the other details including the names of the parents, and village but did not include the name of Priyadarshini. Venkatachalam applied online through E-seva centre and paid the mandated fee of ₹200.

With the accompanying documents, Venkatachalam approached the Uthangarai taluk office on July 30, where he handed over the application to Jaiganesh. However, he had demanded a bribe of ₹4,500, which Venkatachalam said he would not be able to give.

Later, Jaiganesh brought down the bribe amount to ₹3,500. On Thursday morning, Venkatachalam lodged a written complaint with the DVAC office. Following this, a trap was laid, and cash was handed over by Venkatachalam to the accused. He was arrested after being caught red-handed for accepting the bribe.